Woo hoo! We now have 12 entries in the summer gift exchange name contest! 5 more names came to our e-mail in the last 5 minutes! (I have a feeling it has something to do with GardenWeb having had trouble with their e-mail system. Seems to be working now!) Boy, these names are ALL great! It's going to be so much FUN to have the contest! Remember, you have until March 13th to submit a name! Then, we'll have a vote! (The winner gets a junk treasure box from me...your own personal Junk Train to keep! LOL) Thanks to those who entered so far! You're all so dog-gone creative...not only in garden junk but with your words! Keep the names coming! Bear Hugs! Kirk

Well court costs money. If we take it to court we should have a lawyer. Lawyers need retainer fees. If we do get child support it will be a small amount and will not amount to our lawyer fees anytime in the near future. As for visitation we are reasonable and always have been. Maybe we have even been too reasonable and accommodating in the past. They should have schedules summer visitation before summer began. We are not bending and even discussing making plans this late in the summer. We are not talking about a week long trip in driving distance. We are talking about flying across the country, which would require a few week stay to make the money worth it (as said by the grandparents). There are only a few weeks of summer left and we have 2 long weekend family get-aways planned and booked. We are not changing our plans because they all could not get their act together to plan something in advance. If you had been through what we have been through with the bm and planning visits you would not want to bend either. When she lived in state she was a nightmare. She would either plan visitation and do a no show no call. Later we would hear excuses of how she worked overtime (though we called her work when she did not show and were told she was off for the day). Or she would show up pounding on our door at 6 or 7am to wake us all up on some random day demanding to take the kids without calling at least the night before to make arrangements. She could care less if we had plans with the kids already, she felt the world revolved around her and what she wanted. She even took the kids out of state once and said she would be back one day and then she did not show up until more than a whole day later. We had no way to get a hold of her and she did not bother to call. So we just sat worrying that something happened until we called her job and they said she called off. Funny how she managed to call work but did not bother to call us. My dh always caved and gave her what she wanted--he would say that it was for the kids. Well we are way past caving to her every whim. Last summer she made visitation plans pretty late and my dh told her to make them earlier next time. So now she waits till way later and they all think we should just accommodate? Perhaps when he** freezes over!

Vernake, huh? The one that rhymes with "snake"? Oh, no - that's the ones that were in the part of the big banks that assembled those stinky mortgages to pawn off on various unsuspecting investment agencies and people. Should have been forced to return their bonuses, at least, maybe 3/4 or their salary ... or no bail-out. As for that kind of mail ... I've had scores of similar type. Including from some widows claiming to be on their deathbeds with lousy in-laws who want to waylay their inheritance ... ... that they want to send me, to promise that I'll give most of it to charities, widows, orphans, etc. I haven't yet replied to suggest that they just give the money to a reputable charitable agency in their own land. One artist guy the other day wanted me to collect money from his customers here, as it was difficult to have them send it to him, then forward it to him. I wrote to offer the sugestion that he open a Canadian bank account and just have his cutomers transfer the money, then they can send it to him. He wrote right back, saying that he couldn't open a Canadian bank account ... and could I collect for him? I think that I'll write him to suggest that I want no part of money laundering. I did get an email the other day from a guy with a pipeline to the Ghadaffi system in Libya, asking that I receive some money from them, that I can use for five years or something like that, then return it. I've been thinking of writing to the Syrian embassy in Ottawa, asking the recipient if they aren't proud to be associated with the government of Syria, at this juncture? Our government just declared their Embassy closed, froze their bank accounts and gave their staff five days to get out of the country. After which one of their members asked to be accepted as a refugee. ole joyful

Got your info, thanks